Kobakhidze: “We Have National Mission to End Liberal Fascism, Opposition Parties”
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has declared it a “national mission” to eradicate “liberal fascism” in Georgia. Speaking at a briefing on December 14, following the elections by the electoral college consisting of GD MPs and local councilors, Kobakhidze accused opposition parties and NGOs of spreading “propaganda of ugliness” and pledged to end their influence. He specifically named the four opposition forces that passed the electoral threshold in the October 26 elections and “rich NGOs”, claiming that their activities threatened Georgia’s stability.
kobakhidze said: “We have a very important national mission… to finally end liberal fascism.” He added that “the main factor for this is to end the political parties that are the main disseminators of liberal fascism in Georgia. These are the four well-known parties and the wealthy NGOs that carry out this propaganda, including on the streets of Tbilisi,” Kobakhidze said. “All this must stop, and we take full responsibility to do our best to achieve this.”
Officials of the ruling party and its founder and honorary president, Bidzina Ivanishvili, have repeatedly threatened to ban opposition parties and made this a pillar of Georgian Dream’s election campaign. On 29 April, Ivanishvili gave a speech in which he announced repression against the opposition, the “United National Movement”, which he said, would follow Georgian Dream victory in the October 2024 elections. He also defended the ‘foreign agent’ law, which seeks to label NGOs that receive foreign funding as foreign agents. Ivanishvili claimed that such organisations were ‘pseudo-elites nurtured by foreign countries’ and accused unnamed entities of trying to stage a coup in Georgia. He repeated this message on other occasions, eagerly echoed by other GD personalities.
In an interview with journalist Magda Anikashvili on pro-government Imedi TV on 22 October, Ivanishvili denounced liberal ideologies and opposition forces and advocated banning opposition parties. “Those who are enemies of the people and the country must be banned,” Ivanishvili said, adding that “winning elections alone is not enough, so I say we need a constitutional majority to ban them and get rid of them”.
Kobakhidze’s reiteration of intent to ban opposition comes amidst the series of protests taking place in Tbilisi and various regions. Following rigging elections, the self-proclaimed prime minister announced on November 28 that Georgia would halt EU accession talks until 2028. This sparked widespread protests across the country, with demonstrators calling for a reversal of the decision and new elections under a new electoral administration.
The government responded with repressive measures, including the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, the deployment of water cannons and tear gas, and the illegal detention of activists. Authorities have also raided opposition party offices and activists’ homes, with reports of torture and mistreatment of detained citizens.
Also Read:
- 22/10/2024 – Bidzina Ivanishvili TV Interview Ahead of Elections
- 29/04/2024 – Bidzina Ivanishvili Backs Anti-Western Policies, Threatens Repressions
- 01/10/2024 – Ivanishvili Denies Targeting U.S., Repeats “Global War Party” Conspiracy, Warns of “Reputational Damage”
- 14/05/2024 – Breaking: Foreign Agents’ Law Adopted, Amid Protest, Brawls
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